Hepatitis A confirmed among children in Scots town after local outbreak
dailyrecord.co.ukTwo cases of hepatitis A have been confirmed in children in the Cumbernauld area after a number of cases were found last month, NHS public health officials have said.One of the children attends a school in the area, and the other child attends a local nursery, NHS Lanarkshire said.
Cases of the contagious liver disease were found in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, in August.NHS Lanarkshire’s public health team said it is “investigating a small number of confirmed cases” and is offering vaccinations to help stem the spread.Hepatitis A can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months, and is usually spread by poor hand hygiene, especially in children.
It can also be spread via contaminated food, and can be asymptomatic.Staff and pupils at the school and nursery are being supported by NHS workers, with a recommendation that they get vaccinated.Dr Alison Smith-Palmer, consultant in public health, said: “As a precautionary measure, we are offering the vaccine to not only the children and staff who attend or work at the school or nursery, but also their close family members.“Good hand hygiene is important in reducing the risk of spread of the virus.
We are working with the school and the nursery and we are in regular contact with the cases and their families.“To protect patient confidentiality, we will not be providing any further information about the school, nursery or any of the cases.
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